Samsung on Tuesday took the wraps off of three smartphones running its proprietary Bada mobile operating system in a move to reduce its dependence on Google's Android platform.

As noted by Reuters, the South Korean electronics giant unveiled the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y smartphones. The Wave 3 sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera and a "full metal" body. The Wave M features an 832MHz processor and 3.65-inch screen, while Wave Y, which will go on sale in October, is an entry-level device with a 3.2-inch display.

All three of the smartphones will run the Bada 2.0 operating system, which includes new features such as NFC, voice recognition and direct Wi-Fi sharing. Samsung recently opened up the SDK for Bada 2.0 in hopes of attracting more developers to expand the platform's limited app selection, which numbers just 13,000 applications.

Bada, the Korean word for "ocean," was unveiled in late 2009. The first phones on the platform, which is built on top of Linux, arrived in early 2010.

Samsung's Wave 3 smartphone (via This is my next)

Shortly after Google announced its intention to purchase rival handset maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion earlier this month, reports emerged that Samsung would "strengthen Bada" in order to remain competitive. Though Google has pledged that it will continue to work with its Android partners, industry watchers expect companies like Samsung and HTC to diversify their product portfolios as a defensive maneuver.

The company is also reportedly investigating possible opportunities for mergers and acquisitions in order to make up for lost time. One recent rumor has suggested that Samsung may be interested in buying webOS from Hewlett-Packard.

Samsung rose to become the second largest smartphone maker in the second quarter, behind only Apple. The company's popular line of Galaxy phones helped it grow shipments from 3.1 million in the second quarter of 2010 to 19.2 million in the same period of this year.

A heightening legal battle between Apple and Samsung may also be driving the company's push toward Bada. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet is facing injunctions in Australia and Europe. The company's Galaxy smartphones also saw an injunction in Europe last week.

Apple is accusing Samsung of "slavish" copying of its products, while Samsung alleges it's merely competing with, not copying the iPhone and iPad maker.

Honestly, I'm actually pretty curious how many Bada phones Samsung will sell compared to their Android offerings, if they spend equal development effort on both.

Looking at this new Bada phone, it's almost indistinguishable from any random Samsung Android phone from the last year or so. I bet many, many people would not be able to tell the difference, and simply get the Bada phone because it's cheaper. If Samsung wants to push Bada, they have to put it on Galaxy S hardware, and sell it for a little less. People will buy them in droves, I predict.

Honestly, I'm actually pretty curious how many Bada phones Samsung will sell compared to their Android offerings, if they spend equal development effort on both.

Looking at this new Bada phone, it's almost indistinguishable from any random Samsung Android phone from the last year or so. I bet many, many people would not be able to tell the difference, and simply get the Bada phone because it's cheaper. If Samsung wants to push Bada, they have to put it on Galaxy S hardware, and sell it for a little less. People will buy them in droves, I predict.

eh. I doubt it. whatever you may say about Android Market and it's apps they still have something to offer to any Android handset. Bada doesn't have that nor the developers. It's destined to fail if pitted against Android and by extension iOS.

Still boggles my mind looking at the comparison picture. Samsung didn't even try to make it look even the slightest bit different.
Pretty bold or pretty stupid. Guess a few more injunctions will determine that.

Honestly, I'm actually pretty curious how many Bada phones Samsung will sell compared to their Android offerings, if they spend equal development effort on both.

Looking at this new Bada phone, it's almost indistinguishable from any random Samsung Android phone from the last year or so. I bet many, many people would not be able to tell the difference, and simply get the Bada phone because it's cheaper. If Samsung wants to push Bada, they have to put it on Galaxy S hardware, and sell it for a little less. People will buy them in droves, I predict.

Maybe. However i heard from non-tech Bada users that while the OS is ok the lack of third-party applications made regret their choice immediately and they wouldn't get a second Bada phone.

Still boggles my mind looking at the comparison picture. Samsung didn't even try to make it look even the slightest bit different.

Looked different enough to me. Having a keyboard, touchpad, and screen with bezel doesn't mean that every laptop out there is copying Apple's MacBook. Oh and in case you haven't noticed, Samsung's laptop is black in colour whereas MacBook Air is white. I'll call that at least the slightest bit different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mode

Pretty bold or pretty stupid. Guess a few more injunctions will determine that.

Like the Dutch case which threw out all of Apple's "look and feel" patent assertions?

eh. I doubt it. whatever you may say about Android Market and it's apps they still have something to offer to any Android handset. Bada doesn't have that nor the developers. It's destined to fail if pitted against Android and by extension iOS.

I agree with everything you say about the Android market and the lack of apps on Bada, but that's not the point. My assumption is that many people simply don't think about this when they buy a phone, and only find out afterwards that application xyz is not available for it. If Bada mimics the interface of Samsungs Android phones (sure looks like it), and the hardware is comparable (which it is compared to the low-end and mid-range Samsung phones), they will 'trick' a lot of people into getting one, simply because they are cheaper.

If you read too many tech blogs you'll get the impression people actually care about smartphone OS's and know which ones are good or bad. I think this doesn't hold for over half of the smartphone buyers, maybe not even for 75% of them. Most people care about how the device looks, how the UI looks and feels, and about price. And then of course there is brand recognition. Many people buy Apple because they have a reputation of making good products. Same holds for Samsung and HTC. It's not because people want 'iOS phones' or 'Android phones' that it's Apple, Samsung and HTC doing well (and Nokia, up until a year ago), but because these are brands that people associate with good products. A Samsung Bada phone is still a Samsung phone.

I went to the Samsung website for more info on Bada but there was none.

However, Samsung's website is just awful, it's full of aggressively worded, trumped up come-ons and some of them are just outright lies. The whole site is full of traps and tricks for the non-tech savvy customer and wherever Samsung can get away with it, they ape Apple's look and feel. For instance, on the Mobile page, the Samsung Infuse, doesn't it look like Samsung copied an iPhone4? http://www.samsung.com/us/#mobile-home

See what I mean?

After reading the posts here on AI and after visiting their website, I'm reinforced with the impression that Samsung's business model is to lie about everything they can get away with, the claims, the posturing, the products, the website, the executives, the company, it all appears to be a cleverly crafted pack of lies in order to steal IP and trick customers out of their money.

I went to the Samsung website for more info on Bada but there was none.

However, Samsung's website is just awful, it's full of aggressively worded, trumped up come-ons and some of them are just outright lies. The whole site is full of traps and tricks for the non-tech savvy customer and wherever Samsung can get away with it, they ape Apple's look and feel. For instance, on the Mobile page, the Samsung Infuse looks just like Samsung copied an iPhone4, doesn't it.

Again, I'm reinforced with the impression that Samsung's business model is to lie about everything they can get away with, the claims, the posturing, the products, the website, the executives, the company, it all appears to be a cleverly crafted pack of lies in order to trick customers out of their money.

Samsung is just awful.

oh come on. I disliked their copying of iOS my damn self but the website? really?

Samsung on Tuesday took the wraps off of three smartphones running its proprietary Bada mobile operating system in a move to reduce its dependence on Google's Android platform.

As noted by Reuters, the South Korean electronics giant unveiled the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y smartphones. The Wave 3 sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera and a "full metal" body. The Wave M features an 832MHz processor and 3.65-inch screen, while Wave Y, which will go on sale in October, is an entry-level device with a 3.2-inch display.

All three of the smartphones will run the Bada 2.0 operating system, which includes new features such as NFC, voice recognition and direct Wi-Fi sharing. Samsung recently opened up the SDK for Bada 2.0 in hopes of attracting more developers to expand the platform's limited app selection, which numbers just 13,000 applications.

Bada, the Korean word for "ocean," was unveiled in late 2009. The first phones on the platform, which is built on top of Linux, arrived in early 2010.

Samsung's Wave 3 smartphone (via This is my next)

Shortly after Google announced its intention to purchase rival handset maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion earlier this month, reports emerged that Samsung would "strengthen Bada" in order to remain competitive. Though Google has pledged that it will continue to work with its Android partners, industry watchers expect companies like Samsung and HTC to diversify their product portfolios as a defensive maneuver.

The company is also reportedly investigating possible opportunities for mergers and acquisitions in order to make up for lost time. One recent rumor has suggested that Samsung may be interested in buying webOS from Hewlett-Packard.

Samsung rose to become the second largest smartphone maker in the second quarter, behind only Apple. The company's popular line of Galaxy phones helped it grow shipments from 3.1 million in the second quarter of 2010 to 19.2 million in the same period of this year.

A heightening legal battle between Apple and Samsung may also be driving the company's push toward Bada. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet is facing injunctions in Australia and Europe. The company's Galaxy smartphones also saw an injunction in Europe last week.

Apple is accusing Samsung of "slavish" copying of its products, while Samsung alleges it's merely competing with, not copying the iPhone and iPad maker.

I agree with everything you say about the Android market and the lack of apps on Bada, but that's not the point. My assumption is that many people simply don't think about this when they buy a phone, and only find out afterwards that application xyz is not available for it. If Bada mimics the interface of Samsungs Android phones (sure looks like it), and the hardware is comparable (which it is compared to the low-end and mid-range Samsung phones), they will 'trick' a lot of people into getting one, simply because they are cheaper.

If you read too many tech blogs you'll get the impression people actually care about smartphone OS's and know which ones are good or bad. I think this doesn't hold for over half of the smartphone buyers, maybe not even for 75% of them. Most people care about how the device looks, how the UI looks and feels, and about price. And then of course there is brand recognition. Many people buy Apple because they have a reputation of making good products. Same holds for Samsung and HTC. It's not because people want 'iOS phones' or 'Android phones' that it's Apple, Samsung and HTC doing well (and Nokia, up until a year ago), but because these are brands that people associate with good products. A Samsung Bada phone is still a Samsung phone.

everyone knows these phones have apps. tech enthusiast or not. ability to download apps is a big deal.

everyone knows these phones have apps. tech enthusiast or not. ability to download apps is a big deal.

You can also download applications on Bada, right?

Also, I think you are overestimating how many people think about downloading apps when buying a phone. Right now, only around 30% of the phones in use are actually smartphones, which indicates there's a very large group of users who doesn't care enough about downloading apps to upgrade to a smartphone. It may be hard for you to believe, but lots of people only use their phone for calling and texting.

Also, I think you are overestimating how many people think about downloading apps when buying a phone. Right now, only around 30% of the phones in use are actually smartphones, which indicates there's a very large group of users who doesn't care enough about downloading apps to upgrade to a smartphone. It may be hard for you to believe, but lots of people only use their phone for calling and texting.

good point. especially since bada is geared towards people dumping feature phones.

Looked different enough to me. Having a keyboard, touchpad, and screen with bezel doesn't mean that every laptop out there is copying Apple's MacBook. Oh and in case you haven't noticed, Samsung's laptop is black in colour whereas MacBook Air is white. I'll call that at least the slightest bit different.

Like the Dutch case which threw out all of Apple's "look and feel" patent assertions?

Since when do we check in with the Dutch before forming an opinion? Maybe theft is the quotidian practice there? And changing the color from brushed metal to black brushed metal is no change at all. Are you being willfully blind?

Since when do we check in with the Dutch before forming an opinion? Maybe theft is the quotidian practice there? And changing the color from brushed metal to black brushed metal is no change at all. Are you being willfully blind?

Since when do we check in with the Dutch before forming an opinion? Maybe theft is the quotidian practice there? And changing the color from brushed metal to black brushed metal is no change at all. Are you being willfully blind?

Oh you can have your own opinion but I'm merely pointing to the OP that further injunctions based on this ridiculously broad "look and feel" crap will most likely fail, since they have already been completely invalidated once by the Dutch court. You can yell all you want about how Samsung copies everything Apple does but at the end of the day, a fair share of people including the legal system doesn't think so.

If you really think having a chassis w/keyboard and a screen constitutes theft, you are blinded by fanboyism. Before you falsely accuse me of being a Fandroid, I like Apple products. In fact I own both Android and iOS devices. Both have their own perks and downsides. I just don't like Apple's new innovation through litigation approach.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBell

Hint. You have to open your eyes first.

Oh do elaborate. I see two rounded rectangle from that picture. Has Apple patented rounded rectangles too?

Samsung is being smart, for once. Who can trust Google at this point. Why throw all your eggs into the Android basket when there's a chance that Google will cut you off in another 2 years... even the slightest chance.

Will Bada fly? That's not the question in my mind. Will Android fly if Samsung and a couple of other top manufacturers leave the nest?

As another poster pointed out... consumers looking for a cheap smartphone won't care about apps etc... as long as the phone works... and Bada will get better and better while Samsung works on it using its profits from Android sales (that has to piss off Google).

Question now... will Samsung, LG and a couple of other Korean companies form a consortium... all with part interest in a common OS (Bada, WebOS).

Honestly, I'm actually pretty curious how many Bada phones Samsung will sell compared to their Android offerings, if they spend equal development effort on both.

Looking at this new Bada phone, it's almost indistinguishable from any random Samsung Android phone from the last year or so. I bet many, many people would not be able to tell the difference, and simply get the Bada phone because it's cheaper. If Samsung wants to push Bada, they have to put it on Galaxy S hardware, and sell it for a little less. People will buy them in droves, I predict.

Since it is so similar and since it's based on Linux, I wonder if it's any more compliant to the GPL than Android is? I'm thinking the answer is "no."

It's Android's refusal to comply with the GPL terms and especially the failure of almost all the developers for Android to similarly comply that's the biggest part of the iceberg awaiting the good ship Android.

The open source folks have shown distinct signs that they can't keep looking the other way for much longer.

Since it is so similar and since it's based on Linux, I wonder if it's any more compliant to the GPL than Android is? I'm thinking the answer is "no."

It's Android's refusal to comply with the GPL terms and especially the failure of almost all the developers for Android to similarly comply that's the biggest part of the iceberg awaiting the good ship Android.

The open source folks have shown distinct signs that they can't keep looking the other way for much longer.

the Android 3.0 complaints? because they actually released all the GPL compliant code.